“You see the finish line from maybe 200 meters out and your instinct is to just go then,” Miller told race organizers. “So, I just wanted to be patient and wait until I knew I could finish strong.”

Kampf, who represents Asics and trains with Team USA Minnesota, moved up from her second place finish last year and said she particularly enjoyed running for her hometown fans.

“The purpose of this race to me is to run at home in front of my home fans,” Kampf said in her post-race interview at RunnerSpace.com. “I feel like they’re the ones that really take me to the line here. Last year I went from sixth to second because of the people who are out there.”

The versatile Alisha Williams came in second (4:39.6) and former University of Michigan star Danielle Tauro got third (4:40.0).

Twin Cities in Motion, the Minneapolis-based not-for-profit which organized the race, said that more than 2500 runners competed in all heats of the event, including some 40 corporate organizations.

“It was an exciting night of racing, climaxing with our USA Championship waves,” Twin Cities In Motion executive director Virginia Brophy Achman said in a statement. “I’m always amazed by the energy and enthusiasm of the Minnesota running community and pleased to see local companies support fitness and healthy lifestyles.”